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What is your most memorable "that’s not in my job description" experience at work?

2/9/2023

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Original image without text by cottonbro studios on pexels.com
 This question originated from a Quora submission. As I thought of adding this to the blog. I thought about some of the superhero tasks we take on as leaders for some of our organizations. My response (with edits for clarity) outlines my thoughts when tasked to perform what I referenced as "superhero" talent. Hopefully, you will get a laugh from this, but also recognize that there is a limit to our roles as leaders for organizations. 

My Response: 
​Early in my distribution management career, one of my duties or responsibilities included the safety of our employees. Of course, a more than reasonable expectation. Right?
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However, after I began reading through some of the safety protocols, I came across the protocol for handling “bomb threats” in the facility. This topic was of strong interest to me as there were many workplace shootings occurring throughout the country at the time (This was in the late 90’s/early 2000’s). I took for granted it included evacuating the building etc.

However, one line caught my attention, and I had a “What is wrong them?” experience.
I can’t remember it verbatim, but after clearing people out of our assigned area, we as front-line supervisors were expected to ride our chariots (which resembled scooters, or some were golf carts) around the facility and look for “suspicious” packages.

​You know the feeling of when you first read something, that your “flow” may feel light as you take in the information and quickly process it? Well, when I arrived at the paragraph about "searching for suspicious packages," the reading “flow” screeched to an abrupt halt for a few seconds. It was the proverbial “pin drop” moment. I shifted in my seat for a moment and thought about what I had just read. I reasoned that I was reading so much information it had to be a mistake. I mean, I couldn’t have read that correctly. Right?

I re-read it to be clear. Yep, that’s what they wanted us to do. They wanted us to drive around a 1.5M sq. foot facility or whatever our assigned area was and look for a potential package with a bomb in it. Let that sink in and then let’s spell C-R-A-Z-Y. Because that is exactly what must have been what was wrong with them when they wrote that mess. Yep, that wasn’t going to happen. I reasoned that if I got my team out of the building safely, I wasn’t going to go search for a bomb. I decided that would be the day I would lose my job.

While it was “technically” in my job description, it may as well not been in there. Now if I would’ve seen a “suspicious” package on my way out, of course, I would advise the authorities, but I wasn’t going to go look for it. Afterall, I wasn’t McGuyver (google the name), CSI, Batman, nor a superhero. So yeah, not going to happen.

Fortunately, I never had to leave my job for that reason. 
​

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Nanette Kirk, Your Career Coach
Nanette Kirk is the President and CEO of NetKi Enterprises, LLC. We help clients navigate their career journey, through career coaching and consulting. Thank you for reading this blog post. Feel free to reach out if you have any leadership or career challenges, I can help you explore and resolve. You can click on the button below to schedule a discovery call. 
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Q&A: What are some of the greatest challenges an assistant manager has faced in the workplace?

1/29/2023

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Some of the greatest challenges an assistant manager regularly face includes:
  • Leading teams that were once peers; managing those relationships. 
  • Managing multiple priorities that include admin responsibilities and team engagement. 
  • Understanding the financial impacts of decisions made and budget management. 
  • Managing the up-level relationship with your reporting Manager. 
  • Losing potential income as a salaried versus an hourly employee. 
  • Being confident in a leadership role. 
How these challenges can be overcome: 
  1. Recognizing that the relationships with your peers will have to change, have a conversation that details your expectations but welcomes collaborative feedback and problem resolution. Above all, ALWAYS do what you say you will do and within a reasonable timeline. Follow-up if you can’t and check-in regularly. Avoid the tendency to unrealistically over-commit. Understand your role first. 
  2. Engaging in your teams, getting to know them and providing a safe work environment. Also recognizing their strengths and weaknesses and leveraging those skills to improve team performance. ALWAYS be respectful of their time and appreciative of their efforts. Hold them respectfully accountable when applicable. ALWAYS partner with your Manager and/or your HR partner during those times of conflict management. 
  3. Partner with your Manager to understand your role, expectations, financials, and priorities. Also, take advantage of sharing what you need to succeed as well. 
  4. Have a frank conversation with your manager about your salary. Find out if you can get a salary increase and/or what is needed to achieve the highest increase. Take note and record all of your accomplishments throughout the year for your performance appraisal so that you can leverage it to get a salary increase at review time. 
  5. Understand that confidence comes with time and experience. Be self-aware of your abilities and always seek to develop yourself through continuous learning, expanding your internal networks and leading projects.
There are likely many more challenges, but these are usually the top. 
I hope this helps! Wishing you well!
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Q&A: Is it okay to have a 3-page resume if one has over 10 years of experience with just 2 jobs?

1/12/2023

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Photo by cottonbro studio on pexels.com
No. Recruiters and hiring managers do not want to read three pages of information. 

It's understandable to want to share everything you've done in your career - to acknowledge all of your hard work. You can still share your greatest career achievements in two pages or less. 

Make your resume as concise and impactful as possible. The key is to remember that your resume should be written for the reader, not yourself. Give the reader what they want - share what's in it for them if they hire you. 

Helpful tips: 
  • Use job descriptions to find the key words/terms that employees are looking for. 
  • Create accomplishment statements that answers What? How? and Result? Use metrics as much as possible. Metrics lend to heightened credibility.
  • Remove any dated specifics as technology has transformed many industries making some past accomplishments irrelevant in today's climate. Focus instead on transferable skills.  

On our NetKi Enterprises YouTube page, there is a video titled "How to Write a Fantastic Accomplishment Statement! that provides more insight on how to write accomplishment statements. We also have a career resource that will also make the process easier. You can find it below. 

I hope this helps! 

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q&A: Have you ever lied on your resume, but still got an interview?

12/29/2022

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There was a time early in my career that I “stretched” the truth and got the interview at a well-known east coast consumer brand company. I failed the interview so miserably that I had to come clean. The interviewers and I both were uncomfortable. I was so embarrassed! I began to approach the interview from my core experience. While it felt better, I knew I had destroyed my credibility with the company.

It turns out that the interviewers respected my “honesty” and called me months later to interview for other positions. For many I wasn’t a true match. I did receive an offer. Unfortunately, I didn’t accept the position because at the time, I was unwilling to relocate where they wanted me to go.

​The major lesson that I learned from this experience is that It really doesn’t pay to “lie.” Telling a “lie” stems from a lack of confidence. I found my confidence when I exposed my deception and was seen as a potential asset to the organization. Fortunately, you don't have to struggle the way I did. We offer a career tool that will help you prepare for interviews. You can find it below. 
​

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Q&A: What are some of the greatest challenges an assistant manager has faced in the workplace?

7/6/2022

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The question in the title was originally requested by a Quora subscriber. The response below has been updated and edited to reflect additional information. 

What are some of the challenges an assistant manager may face in the workplace? 
My response: 

Some of the greatest challenges an assistant manager regularly face includes:
  1. Leading teams that were once peers and managing those relationships.
  2. Managing multiple priorities that include administrative responsibilities and team engagement.
  3. Understanding the financial impacts of decisions made and budget management.
  4. Managing the up-level relationship with your reporting Manager.
  5. Losing potential income as a salaried versus an hourly employee (If promoted). 
  6. Being confident in a leadership role.
  7. Potential loss of pay if previously an hourly employee (potential lower hourly rate calculation due to increased hours). 
While each of these challenges can be overwhelming, there are ways to make the experience easier. The following list provides ways in which these challenges can be addressed and help a new leader keep their sanity:
  1. Former peer relationships: Recognizing that the relationships with your peers will have to change, have a conversation that details your expectations but welcomes collaborative feedback and problem resolution. Above all, ALWAYS do what you say you will do and within a reasonable timeline. Follow-up if you can’t and check-in regularly. Avoid the tendency to unrealistically over-commit. Understand your role first. Most of your peers will support you if you support them by removing obstacles from their way, acknowledging their contribution and being fair. It may take an adjustment on both sides at first, but the change can be very positive. 
  2. Managing multiple priorities including team engagement:   As a new leader, it may be surprising the many priorities that a new manager may face. The primary goal is to make sure that your team is aligned with the overall department goal. As a leader, you may be called to manage an immediate operational issue, deal with an HR related issue for one of your employees and prepare a report for your manager. It will be important for you to be organized. Write things down or record them. Learn how to prioritize and delegate to protect your time. I will share more on this in another blog post. The importance of engaging in your teams, getting to know them and providing a safe work environment will go far in building trust. Also recognize their strengths and weaknesses and leverage those skills to improve team performance while also helping them to develop. ALWAYS be respectful of their time and appreciative of their efforts. Hold them respectfully accountable when applicable. ALWAYS partner with your manager and/or your HR partner during those times of conflict management.
  3. Understand the financial impacts of decision made: This can sometimes be the scary part. Unfortunately, there are leaders who for various reasons opt not to share department budgets with their front-line supervision staff. I will discuss this issue in a separate blog post, or in a future e-book. The key is to understand that for every leadership or operational decision made, there is a cost attached to it. For example, you may decide to shut down early due to a "technical glitch." However, there is a special project that doesn't require the "system" that would've otherwise required overtime. Starting the special project could fill in the lost time that the "system" is down and save several hours of overtime.    The best course is to always partner with your manager as an assistant supervisor where appropriate. They may have more information that can help you make an informed decision. 
  4. Managing your manager relationship: Partner with your Manager to understand your role, expectations, financials, and priorities. Also, take advantage of sharing what you need to succeed as well. Find out how they define success in the role so that you are aligned. 
  5. Losing potential income: Have a frank conversation with your manager about your salary. Do your research ahead of time and check the salary for your industry and area. This will also address the potential loss of pay if you were hourly. Is your pay reflective of your time in position and the industry? Armed with your information, find out if you can get a salary increase and/or what is needed to achieve the highest increase. Take note and record all of your accomplishments throughout the year for your performance appraisal (we offer a tool in our store!) so that you can leverage it to get a salary increase at review time.
  6. Being confident: Understand that confidence comes with time and experience. Be self-aware of your abilities and always seek to develop yourself through continuous learning, expanding your internal networks and leading projects. 
There are likely many more challenges, but these are usually the top. 
My additional commentary:
Becoming a manager can be an exciting but scary time. It is easy to be overwhelmed. However, it is exciting when you are able to lead a team, help them grow and support the business. Don't be afraid to ask for help, seek a mentor, take classes; things that can help you be confident. You don't have to have all of the answers. Surround yourself with knowledgeable support that can help you and your team succeed.  
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Hoping the very best for you!  Please feel free to comment here or reach out if you have any questions or need a leadership coach.  Blessings!
​-Nanette 
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